It is amusing to recall how many people were willing to write Machine Head off only a few years ago. After the release of the supposedly polarising (but, in reality, perfectly successful) Catharsis in 2018, and the unexpected departure of half the band later that year, Robb Flynn’s relentless forward march at least seemed to be experiencing a hiccup or two, and critical vultures were circling.
Satisfyingly, the near-immediate turnaround was enough to give us all whiplash. Since returning with a revitalised line-up in 2019, Machine Head have been on fucking fire. 2022’s Of Kingdom And Crown was a blistering return to top form. The band’s first concept piece, it was tighter, heavier and more ferocious than anything they’d released since Burn My Eyes in 1994, but with some of the catchiest melodies and most irresistible choruses that Robb had ever penned.
In many respects, Machine Head’s 11th studio album continues where its predecessor left off, but there are no artful concepts or overarching narratives this time around. Instead, Unatoned is stripped down, fat-free and mercilessly to-the-point, with 10 lean, mean and ruthlessly succinct songs (and one eerie, instrumental interlude) that are frequently as brutal as Machine Head have ever been.
Two pre-release singles have given Headcases a flavour of what is in store here. These Scars Won’t Define Us is an explosive, modern thrash beat ’em up with guest vocals from Cristina Scabbia, Anders Fridén and others. Unbound is built around a fabulously knuckleheaded riff and a roar- along refrain clearly designed to have a deleterious effect on our neck muscles. Both are executed with precision and swagger, and will have circle- pits swirling across Europe this summer.
Every one of these songs has the potential to become a live favourite. Atomic Revelations is a punishing opener proper, with several life-threatening riffs and an elegantly lethal chorus; Outsider is a wildly accessible, groove metal masterclass; Bonescraper is part thuggish, 90s throwback, part euphoric, hands-in-the- air singalong; and the grandiose, doom-laden Bleeding Me Dry creeps in on spaced-out trip hop beats, before unleashing one of the ugliest riffs in Machine Head history.
Conversely, the closing Scorn could be the most beautiful song that Robb Flynn has ever written. Ostensibly a dark, crestfallen ballad, it drifts through hazy, synth-shrouded verses and angst-ridden chorus crescendos, before a scintillating, syncopated riff shatters the calm, and Machine Head surge towards a spine-tingling finale.
Unatoned is Machine Head’s shortest album: 42 minutes, non-stop action, and absolutely no fucking around. There is an urgency to it that harks back to the feral days of Burn My Eyes, and an imperious sophistication that comes from more than 30 years of experience. It has so many crushing riffs that it should come with a health and safety certificate.
New guitarist Reece Scruggs is the perfect fit, and drummer Matt Alston finally makes his album debut, and wallops it out of the park. Meanwhile, Robb Flynn has never sung with more authority, and his vocal partnership with Jared MacEachern continues to dazzle. In 2025, Machine Head are in peak condition: the bulldozer that crushes all, ferociously fit for the future. Never in doubt.
